tonight i had a first for me. i usually end messages sunday nights in tapestry by asking if anyone has anything that needs to be added before i end. quite often this leads to some wonderful things. tonight when i asked the question one of the threads asked “what was the second thing you said at the end?” you see, i have a habit of ever now and then during my messages speaking in a conspiratorial whisper that can be hard to hear if i’m not facing you..
now i prepare pretty well for the sermons i do. i spend a lot of time studying beforehand and i develop a pretty thorough outline BUT i don’t write a full manuscript. i am not speaking from something i have memorized word for word. so i tried m best to answer her by giving her a general summary of my last point. i just wasn’t word for word sure of what i had just said. when i finished my summary another thread said “oh i wrote it down” and she then read off to the other person the word for word statement that had been missed because of my whisper.
i’ve never before had a “message secretary” who was ready to read back what i had just said. as a pastor it was kind of a cool experience for me.
SIDE NOTE – apparently i have a new title. since i don’t really like people calling me “pastor robert” (versus people introducing me to their friends as their pastor – which i do love) tonight i was called “shepherd bob.” i think i like that title. 🙂